Jonas Lauener’s Intuitive Rift Explorer combines a robot and a head-mounted display, to create a mobile virtual reality system that’s worth a nod. The camera mount on the robot is wirelessly connected to an Oculus Rift display, so that when the person wearing the Rift tilts their head, the camera mount tilts, too. The vision system uses two wide-angle cameras and a 3-axis gimbal mounted ... Read More »

While there are many starter soldering kits on the market, most don’t integrate coding. What makes CHIP notable — aside for his adorable face — is the fact that he’s programmable. Once you’ve finished soldering all of CHIPs parts, he can be plugged into an Arduino and programmed. Learn coding basics by making CHIP’s lights blink fast or slow, or ... Read More »

Researchers at Michigan Technological University are working on a vision system for prosthetic legs. The system uses an inexpensive camera to get a better sense of the terrain, and an actuator that adjusts the ankle accordingly. “The camera can identify the profile of the ground, while the computer knows where the next footstep will be, based on how the user is moving ... Read More »

Bare Conductive’s Touch Board Inventors Kit is ideal for both beginners and those who already have some experience with sensors and Arduinos. The touch board itself is very versatile, intended as a platform for a wide range of projects. Use it to turn just about anything conductive (including Bare Conductive’s paint) into a sensor, via the board’s 12 electrodes. Make a drum kit you never ... Read More »

There’s a brand new product on Kickstarter, designed to make it easy for anyone to create cellular-connected devices. A 2D/3D development kit, the Spark Electron is poised to bring machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to the masses. At the moment, it’s difficult to develop M2M electronics at home because the market is set up big companies who already work with telcos and can navigate the industry. “If you ... Read More »

Three Austrian men have undergone a new technique called bionic reconstruction, enabling them to use a robotic prosthetic hand controlled by their mind. The technique involves selective nerve and muscle transfers, as well as amputating the affected limb. The limb was then replacing with a prosthesis containing sensors that respond to electrical impulses in the patient’s muscles. The new technique was developed by professor ... Read More »

Researchers at the RIKEN-SRK Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research in Nagoya, Japan have developed a robotic nurse that looks like an adorable bear. The robot, called ROBEAR, can help nursing staff with the heavy work: lifting patients from beds and wheelchairs, and providing physical support to patients who need help to stand. “We really hope that this robot will lead to advances ... Read More »

Sick of sorting out measurements for screws, or the numbering system for alloy sheets? Great Innovations’ chart keeps the important numbers handy. The chart has a ton of info, including the tap, drill, and stress area for screws, c’bore sizes, bolt grades, prefixes, fractional drill sizes, pipe threads, beam deflections, and Allen key sizes for imperial screws. Mechanical designers, machinists, ... Read More »

SuperDroid Robotics has a new low-profile, high-end robot on the market: an inspection bot with a video camera, that can be remotely controlled via an included tablet. At just 12 inches high, the tracked robot is designed to fit into spaces that are less than ideal for humans. The aluminum base is custom welded, with IG42 right angle motors. I ... Read More »

There’s still time to sign up your team for the 2015 Soft Robotics Competitions! For the design competition, entrants are charged with creating a novel device using at least one of the tools available on Harvard’s Soft Robotics Toolkit Website. The entire robot doesn’t have to be soft — it can incorporate more traditional, rigid elements. But at least one ... Read More »

Ready, aim, fire! Add some fun firepower to your robot with a Foam Dart Gun Kit from Trossen Robotics. The kit is designed to be used with a pan-tilt system and any Arduino-compatible microcontroller. Each kit includes a dart gun, two foam darts, laser cut plate set, mounting plate, and all the hardware required for assembly. Add sensors and create ... Read More »

A team from MIT recently showed off a robotic flower garden with adjustable lights and moveable petals at the school’s Hour of Code event. The idea behind the garden is to get kids — particularly girls — interested in building and programming their own electronics. The garden consists of 16 tiles that are controlled via Arduinos. Each tile houses multiple flowers ... Read More »

If you’ve been thinking about starting your first project with an Intel Edison, you’ll definitely want to check out Sparkfun’s kit. It has all the basics: an Edison, GPIO block, base block, battery block, a 6-foot microB cable, and all the schematics and documentation you’ll need. Not sure what a block is? It’s really just Intel’s terminology for a shield. As ... Read More »